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Life experience degrees are awarded to individuals who have demonstrated core competencies of skill and knowledge in their prospective career field. Some schools that offer Life Experience Degrees use a Prior Learning Assessment Bar to assess your prior experience. The ones that do not are considered Diploma Mills. Prior experience can include: military service, work experience, prior college, certificates of achievement, travel, professional development courses and workshops, community and volunteer services, and much more. The information the school reviews needs to be verifiable. Many schools will request more information if they feel that the information is not accurate or incomplete.
How it works
Colleges and Universities have developed Degree Programs that can provide you a Legal (check with your state) Diploma from your life experience. To qualify, most Life Experience schools require you to fill out an application form with prior experience. Many of the schools provide the review service for free, but some will charge up to $100.00 per application. If you have met the minimum requirements for the degree that you are seeking; you can expect to receive your Diploma in 5 to 20 business days. The number varies from school to school.
Why get a life experience degree?
A life Experience Degree can help you advance in your current career or accomplish a life long dream that you could not have currently accomplish without a college degree. Today, more then ever it is important to have a college degree. The job market is becoming more competitive each day. Here are a couple reasons for the higher level of competition in today's job market: more people are retiring later in their career and we have more college degreed professionals flooding the market looking for jobs. Now more then ever you will need a college degree on your resume to get your foot into the door.
Will my Employer have a Problem with my Life Experience Degree?
Between 25 and 35 percent of people do experience some difficulty because of life experience credit, or a non-traditional transcript.
A 1978 survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found the top personnel officers at 81 large corporations indicated they felt that a non-traditional degree was just as useful as one from a traditional school with a "strong reputation." As the report said, these findings "run counter to some popular beliefs." Source: Sosdian, Carol P. and Laurie M. Sharp, The External Degree as Credential: Graduate's Experience in Employment and Further Study, Washington D.C., U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1978.
Will My Life Experience Credits Transfer to a Regionally Accredited University? Unlikely. No college, regardless of accreditation, can guarantee the acceptance of credits or degrees since each student is evaluated and then accepted or denied based upon a number of individualistic factors. For instance, courses in theology would not normally be applied toward a degree in physical education; therefore, those credits, even if they were from a regionally accredited college, would not be transferable. Other factors that influence the acceptance of credits or degrees include the grade point average, entrance exam scores, the degree major, ability to pay, etc.